Colossians:1

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* Paul , an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God , and Timothy our brother , * To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse : Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ . * We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ , praying always for you , * since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints ; * because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven , of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel , * which has come to you , as it has also in all the world , and is bringing forth fruit , as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth ; * as you also learned from Epaphras , our dear fellow servant , who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf , * who also declared to us your love in the Spirit . * For this reason we also , since the day we heard it , do not cease to pray for you , and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding ; * that you may walk worthy of the Lord , fully pleasing Him , being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God ; * strengthened with all might , according to His glorious power , for all patience and longsuffering with joy ; * giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light . * He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love , * in whom we have redemption through His blood , the forgiveness of sins . * He is the image of the invisible God , the firstborn over all creation . * For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth , visible and invisible , whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers . All things were created through Him and for Him . * And He is before all things , and in Him all things consist . * And He is the head of the body , the church , who is the beginning , the firstborn from the dead , that in all things He may have the preeminence . * For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell , * and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself , by Him , whether things on earth or things in heaven , having made peace through the blood of His cross . * And you , who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works , yet now He has reconciled * in the body of His flesh through death , to present you holy , and blameless , and above reproach in His sight -- * if indeed you continue in the faith , grounded and steadfast , and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard , which was preached to every creature under heaven , of which I , Paul , became a minister . * I now rejoice in my sufferings for you , and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ , for the sake of His body , which is the church , * of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you , to fulfill the word of God , * the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations , but now has been revealed to His saints . * To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles : which is Christ in you , the hope of glory . * Him we preach , warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom , that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus . * To this end I also labor , striving according to His working which works in me mightily .

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